"Go for it".
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These are the words of a young apprentice cabinet maker who followed her dreams and is urging other young women wanting to pursue a trade.
Breanna Taylor, 18, began a full-time apprenticeship in November 2023 after completing work placement in 2022 and a school-based apprenticeship in 2023 at Warrnambool's Trendset Kitchens.
The Woolsthorpe teen has always had a passion for hands-on learning and trade subjects.
"It's just what I enjoyed doing so I went down the VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) path. I got put at a cabinet making joint and I loved it," Breanna said.
"I was really into sport and hands-on stuff. I'm dyslexic so I struggled with English. I never enjoyed science or the heavy English subjects so I used to do all the trade and sport subjects."
Trendset Kitchens owner Kerri Bilson said they knew Breanna was someone they wanted on their team, offering her a full-time apprenticeship in 2022 but she chose to complete year 12, which they supported.
"We identified her as being a really valuable asset to us and I knew she would go places with her trade as well as from a personal level," Mrs Bilson said.
"She has a really high level of natural ability, a very high commitment to listening and learning new skills and the trade, very high attention to detail and her work ethic - she's always on time and works hard all day. She just ticks all the boxes."
Mrs Bilson said it was great to have a female in the industry.
"It's fabulous," Mrs Bilson said. "She identified challenges early on she felt she wasn't going to be physically up to it but that certainly hadn't been a barrier."
Breanna's was awarded a $2000 Neil Porter Legacy Foundation vocational scholarship on Wednesday December 13, 2023. It includes $1500 of tools and $500 worth of safety and workwear and a trophy.
Breanna was the 2023 Brauer College VCE Vocational Major dux, recogised for excellence in the VCE VM program and received top marks in her school-based subjects.
Her teachers nominated her for the Premier's VCE Awards Outstanding VCE VM Student Awards which recognises exceptional students.
Breanna also received the Olympic Change Maker Award for students who demonstrate the Olympic spirit - friendship, sportsmanship and striving for excellence - both on and off the playing field, through leadership and driving positive change.
The 18 year old recommended other females to give a trade career a go.
"People are encouraging of it," she said. "If I go onto a job site and there's other people there, they're like 'that's good that a female is getting into a trade'.
"I haven't had any issues with it which is good,"
"I'd 100 per cent (recommend it) if they're interested in it and that's their passion. I reckon they should go for it."
Brauer College careers co-ordinator Iain Jackson said Breanna was a delightful young person who gave her all.
